What a wonderful thing to find in Paris, France.

by Shanice Mckirgan-Sobers (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find France

Travelling by plane wasn’t knew to me, but the Euro Star Train was an adventure in itself. In my imagination as a child I had imagined the train to travel at light speed underwater, whilst an open window showed fish and coral. Although that wasn’t the case, the train had felt more luxurious than the East Midlands trains I was used to taking back home. When we had arrived in Paris we stood outside the station and I instantly felt the sense of Parisian history and culture from the buildings staring back at us, the music playing in the streets and the french accents being carried in the wind. Driving in Paris is not recommended as traffic is crazy like most cities, although it was very beautiful to drive past Eiffel Tower on our way to our Air BnB. Our Air BnB was a small one bedroom flat, owned by a young french couple who had decorated the place to their own style. I prefer to stay with Air BnBs as a hotel doesn’t feel as authentic. Personally, I don’t like to stay indoors when travelling, so I convinced my friends to throw our belongings in our rooms and start exploring the streets of Paris immediately. You think you know what a place is like until you’re actually there. The streets had started to fill with armed guards in french uniforms (which fit them quite nicely). I had politely asked one of them what was going on, to which he told us that President Donald Trump was visiting Paris, the same time as us. The streets where filled with people, we decided to take a few pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower but we couldn’t get very close as it was gated off. The food in Paris was tasteful and the wine was even better, we had decided to eat a little further away from the Eiffel Tower as we knew prices would increase the closer you were. Later that evening, from taking the underground metro railway we had stumbled into a crowd of people heading in the same direction, so naturally we followed. Masses of people from every direction began flooding into the surrounding area of the Eiffel Tower which we spotted once again as we walked towards it with the crowds. A live orchestra began playing a symphony as people started laying out blankets and sitting on the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower. Still unaware of what’s happening, a young girl who began walking with us told us we had actually arrived in Paris at a time which was similar “the 4th of July for France”. As we and everyone around us sat, and the music played louder, the Eiffel Tower lit up in a spectacle. Fireworks shot from the tower and into the sky in an amazing array of timing and designs which matched the music. Honestly, one of the best views I have ever witnessed as the crowd sat silently with heads looking towards the sky. Children, families and friends. My phone had actually died earlier so I wasn’t able to capture anything on my phone! But I believe I was suppose to remember this memory in my head and share with the friends I was with, fully able to absorb the experience. The show lasted around what felt like 15-20 minutes, and after it had finished people began to leave. We had decided to keep exploring, stopping at a small pizza shop in a side street away from the Eiffel Tower. The people in Paris are very friendly, there are lots of tourists from all over the world travelling as friends, couples, family and solo. We had travelled in the summer, so we didn’t need jackets. Our stay was short as we were flying to Barcelona 2 days after our arrival in Paris. I had figured out a while ago that if you buy a one way ticket it’s a lot cheaper, as you can visit multiple countries for around the same price as a return ticket! I have returned to Paris a few times since and if I could give a word of advice or warning, paris doesn’t have air conditioning!